


Thousand Times

by pinecovewoods



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M, love him so much, prince albert makes me happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-13 19:40:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16898718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinecovewoods/pseuds/pinecovewoods
Summary: The girl lets out a scoff-like laugh, pulling away. She picks up the crown from the bed, twisting it around in her fingers, and then places it on his head, the gold glittering against his red hair.





	1. Part One

The knock at the door comes late at night, right after she had finished with her duties for the day. 

She opens the door, the boy slipping in quickly and quietly and closing it behind him.

His lips are on hers before she can greet him, hands tangling themselves in his hair and knocking the gold crown onto the bed. 

"You brought that down here?" She mumbles agains his mouth, trying to suppress a smile.

"Came straight from the diplomatic meeting," he responds, "wanted to see you, needed to see you," he presses kisses down her neck.

"Al," she breathes, the boys grip tightening around her waist.

"Missed you so much," he whispers, pressing his forehead to hers, "hate not being able to see you whenever I want."

"You could always call me into your chambers," she says, "say it needs some extra cleaning. Might buy us a couple of minutes at least."

"Every day?" Albert smiles, planting another kiss to her lips. "Might get a bit suspicious."

"I just..." she shakes her head, "I hate having to pretend I don't know you other than 'yes your highness', 'no your highness', and 'can I take your laundry'."

"I know, I know," Albert sighs, "believe me, it kills me on the inside every time I watch you walk down the halls with clothes or plates or..." he trails off, shaking his head, "you deserve so much better, Y/N."

"It's not that that bothers me, Al," she shrugs, "that's my job, and it lets me see you everyday. What bothers me is I, I know how this is going to end, I know what has to happen..."

"What are you talking about?"

The girl lets out a scoff-like laugh, pulling away. She picks up the crown from the bed, twisting it around in her fingers, and then places it on his head, the gold glittering against his red hair. 

"I'm talking about the fact that you're a prince, Albert," she says, "like next in line for the kingdom. I work in the palace...not exactly a suitable match."

"You know I don't care about all of that stuff," Albert sighs, pulling the crown off of his head, "I don't feel like a prince when I'm with you, I just feel like...me."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"The best thing," he says, kissing her forehead.

The boy sits on the bed, pulling her down so she straddles his lap. He puts the crown on her, a soft smile taking over his face as it slips over her forehead.

"You look good in a crown," he mumbles, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "especially when it's mine. You should wear one more often."

"Can't exactly wear your crown around the palace," she says, "don't have one of my own either." 

"You will," he says without thinking, "one day."

"Al..."

"Sorry, sorry," he says the words, but they don't sound genuine, "just...wanna forget I'm _Prince Albert_ for a while. Just wanna be me, just wanna be Al."

"Kiss me," she whispers.

"A thousand times over."

\---

Albert stops the girl in the hall, eyes darting around the empty space. He speaks quickly, quietly, not wanting to get caught.

"I need to see you," he mutters, "tonight. There's something we...something I need to talk to you about."

She swallows, adjusting the laundry basket in her grip.

"Okay," she says, "something wrong?"

"I," he stops, "kinda, just...prince stuff. We can talk later," he glances around the hall once more, and then presses a quick, loving kiss to her forehead, "around ten?"

"Yeah, I should be done by then," she says, "meet at our spot?"

Albert smiles softly at the words, and nods.

Ten o'clock takes it's time rolling around, Y/N leaving her room as soon as the bell rings out the time. She makes her way swiftly to the gardens, waiting by a rose hedge and twisting her fingers together in anxiety.

A pair of arms wrap around her waist, and he presses his lips to the top of her head.

"Hi love," he says, turning her around to face him, "kinda scared you weren't gonna show."

"The world would have to come crashing down for me to not show," she says, ruffling his hair, "you said you needed to talk? Sounded important."

Albert drops his arms, shoving his hands into his pockets. 

"They're trying to get me to marry," he whispers, "forcing me, really. Bringing in girls from all over to 'compete for my hand', as my father put it."

Y/N takes a step backwards, nodding.

"Okay, I understand," she says softly, gaze fixed on the dirt, "you don't have to explain anything to me. In all honesty, I knew how this would end. It's not your fault."

"What?" He furrows his eyebrows, placing his hands on her shoulders. "No, that's not -"

"Albert, I get it," she shakes her head, "you're a prince, you're expected to get married to someone for the kingdom's sake, I knew that when we started this whole thing a year ago. It's okay, really."

"Y/N, stop, just," he takes her face into his hands, causing her to lock eyes with him, "just listen to me, let me explain what's going on."

She stands silent, and Albert presses his lips to hers. 

"They want me to marry, I can't change their minds on that," he mutters, "what I can do is make my own choice in who I marry."

"Al," she breathes, "what are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Albert pauses, titling his head up to look at the stars. He lets out a scoff and runs a hand through his hair as he looks back down at her. "I'm saying I don't get to make many of my own decisions in my life, and if they want me to get married I won't fight that. I will fight for who I get to marry, for who I spend the rest of my life with. I won't let them sell me off to which ever kingdom bids the highest."

"I believe the princesses are the ones that get 'sold off'," Y/N says, joking to try and cut the tension, "after all, you'll still get to rule your own land."

"You know what I mean," he rolls his eyes, "and you know what I'm trying to say."

She swallows, the nerves coming back.

"I think I do," she whispers, "and I hope you're not serious."

Albert's face falls.

"You...you don't want to marry me?"

"What? No," she shakes her hand, taking Albert's hands in her own, "no I...god, Albert, I would give anything to marry you. But it's not that simple, I don't want you to ruin your life by fighting to marry me. You deserve someone to help you rule, someone who understand what's going on in court, someone of nobility and of status."

"You can be that person. You can help me rule, bring new point of views and new ideas to the kingdom," Albert says, "we can learn court together, hell, I don't know what's going on half the time. And nobility, status...you know that means nothing to me. And you know I don't judge people based on the families they happen to be born into."

"I know you don't care," she says, "but Al, you're an anomaly in this place. It wouldn't go over that easy in court, your parents, the citizens...no one else would be okay with it, I can almost guarantee that."

"I'm in love with you," he breathes, eyes glistening under the moonlight, "can't you see that?"

The girl freezes, this being the first time the boy had used the words. She swallows, and shakes her head.

"I love you, more than words can even express." She places a hand on his cheek, heart heavy. "And that's why I can't let you spend you every day of the rest of your life fighting against everyone you know because of this decision."

Albert takes a step back, and the girl's hand drops to her side.

"I'll abdicate, then," he says, "they got Peter, he's two years younger but he'll do just as well as I would. We can go somewhere else, somewhere where we can just be us."

"You..." her eyes widen, "you'd give up the throne, you'd give up your life...for me?"

"I'd give up the world for you."

She almost doesn't believe him at first, but looking at him with the beginnings of tears in his eyes under the starlight, something about the situation makes her chest ache.

"I love you, Y/N," he says, "any girl they bring in won't even hold a candle to you. I won't be happy with any of them, and you don't really want to condemn me to a life of unhappiness, do you?"

"You'll make a good diplomat," she whispers after a pause, shaking her head.

"Sorry?"

"You're good at arguing, at talking people into things," she sighs, and takes his hand in her own, "if this is what you want, if you're sure this is the choice you want to make...you're stubborn, I know I can't stop you."

"Is that a yes?" Albert questions, biting back a smile.

"Ask me again, properly," she giggles.

Albert drops to one knee, holding her hands in his own. 

"Y/N L/N," he starts, a smile on his face, "you have been the one constant good thing in my life, and I never want that to change. This past year with you has been the best year of my life. Growing up, I always thought that I would get paired up with some princess from some other land and live a loveless life and then," he pauses, shaking his head slightly, "god, then you walked into my room and treated me like me, not like some prince you were trying to impress. I could go on for hours but...long story short, I'm ridiculously in love with you, and I want nothing more in my life than to spend the rest of it with you, if you'll have me. Y/N, my darling, my love...will you marry me?"

"A thousand times over," she replies, pulling the boy up and pressing their lips together, "I love you so much, Albie."

Albert groans, but it doesn't sound sincere.

"I hate it when you call me that," he says.

"You don't," she smiles, tangling her fingers in his hair as he kisses her forehead, "if you really did, you'd stop me, order me to not call you that or something."

"You know I would never order you to do anything," Albert says, caressing her cheek with a soft hand, "besides maybe help me pick out clothes in the morning, you know I'm terrible at matching things."

The girl laughs, and leans her head onto his chest. He wraps his arms around her, holding her under the moonlight as they look out over the gardens.

"What are you gonna tell your parents?" She asks in a whisper.

"That I need someone by my side that I can trust to help me rule," he starts, "someone that knows this place, knows what it's like to grow up here. And regardless of what they think, it's what's best for me and for the kingdom, and that I'll fight for you, a thousand times over."

"When?"

"Tomorrow," Albert says, "they're planning on bringing the princesses here next week, we need to get ahead of that so they don't waste money buying tickets and such."

"Hmm, I can work with that," she smiles, "we should get back, before someone notices you're missing."

Albert presses his lips to her knuckles.

"We're gonna get through this," he mumbles against her skin, "you and me, baby, together."

"A thousand times over."


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _"You'd give up the throne, you'd give up your life...for me?"_
> 
> _"I'd give up the world for you."_

The light streaming through the curtains wakes her early the next morning, eyes fluttering open as she feels Albert's fingers running up and down her arm.

"Morning love," he whispers, voice thick with sleep, "how'd you sleep?"

"Ridiculously well," she smiles, "you tired me out last night."

Albert laughs a bit, smirking.

"That's about the best compliment I could ever get," he teases, "glad I could be of service."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that to you," she questions, raising an eyebrow, "your highness?"

Albert rolls his eyes, pulling the girl into his side. They lay in silence, her mind racing through the conversation from the night previous.

"Did you mean what you said?" She murmurs, head resting gently on his bare chest. "When you said you would give up the throne for me?"

"Wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," Albert replies, "why, do you want me to?"

"No, god," she shakes her head, "I could never ask you to do that, Al, that's a decision for you to make if it comes to it. I was just...curious, I guess."

Albert pulls her closer, and presses a kiss to her hair.

"I promise," he says, "whatever needs to be done for us to be together, that's what I'm going to do."

She kisses the skin on his chest, nuzzling her face into his neck.

"Don't think I'll ever get used to this," she mumbles, "waking up next to you...being with you. I like being with you."

" _Being_ with me, hmm?" Albert smirks, rolling so he hovers over her. "And exactly what do you mean by saying you like being with me?"

He kisses her neck, relishing the hitching in her breath as she tries to answer.

"Al..." she breathes.

"S'okay princess," Albert whispers, hands gripping her waist, "I gotcha."

"L-like it when you call me that," she smiles, running her hands over his chest.

"S'good, cause you are one," Albert pulls back a bit, locking eyes with her, "you've always been one to me, and soon you'll be one officially."

Y/N pulls Albert's lips down to hers, hand resting on the back of his neck.

"Someone's gonna come looking for me," she mumbles against his mouth, "we start chores soon."

"No one can come in here without first announcing their presence," Albert says, trailing kisses down her neck, "I'll cover for you if it comes to it...least I can do."

"If you're sure," she whispers, "love you, Albie."

"Love you too, darling," he presses hot kisses to her collarbone, "gonna show you how much...a thousand times over."

—

She knocks on his door later that week, waiting for him to respond. Once he does, she pushes in, closing it quickly behind her as to not be overheard.

"Hey baby," he smiles as he turns around, but the emotion falls as he sees her, "what's wrong, what's going on?"

"Some of..." she trails off, shaking her head as she searches for words, "some of the girls down stairs said they heard rumors that the prince was seen with a commoner, said they heard he was planning on marrying her instead of a princess."

Albert rushes to her side, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"Shh shh," he rests a hand on her cheek, bringing her gaze up to his, "they're just rumors, yeah? Breathe for me, love, it's okay."

She does as he asks, taking a deep breath and Albert tucks her hair behind her ears.

He pulls her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"It's okay, you're okay," he murmurs, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back, " _we're_ okay...I love you so much."

"Sorry, sorry," she breathes, "I just...I heard them talking and I got freaked out. I'm so scared Albie," she whispers into his chest.

"I know princess," he replies, "honestly, I'm scared too. But I would much rather go through this scared and still have you than not go through this at all."

"I don't know what I did in a past life to deserve you," she shakes her head, "but whatever it was, I'm glad I did it."

Albert smiles, and kisses her softly.

"I think we should tell my parents," he says, "especially if these rumors are going around, they're going to ask me about it, and I don't want to lie to them."

"If you think that's what's best," she nods, "I'll be by your side, always."

"God I love you so much," he smiles, "I can't wait to show the rest of the kingdom how much you mean to me."

"Promise you won't give up on us," she whispers, "promise you'll fight for us?"

"A thousand times over."

—

"I'm sure I'm just as curious as the rest of us," Queen Madeline says delicately during dinner, "why you insisted on a family gathering for dinner, Albert. I figured you would be busy getting ready for the arrivals of the princesses later this month."

"That's um," Albert coughs, "that's the reason I asked for this dinner. Matthew, can you show Y/N in please?"

The door boy does as Albert asks, and Y/N slips quietly into the large room, swallowing down her nerves.

"Son," King Fredrick says as Albert makes his way over to where the girl stands, "I'm sure you have an excellent reason as to why a serving girl is in our dinning room?"

"Mother, Father," Albert takes a deep breath, "I would like to introduce you to Y/N L/N, my fiancé."

A pin dropping could have been heard as the room fell into silence. Albert's younger brother Peter freezing in his spot with a fork held halfway up to his mouth.

Moments pass, and they feel like hours, until Queen Madeline clears her throat.

"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you," she says, "this...this girl is your... _fiancé_?"

Albert swallows, and nods, taking Y/N's hand in his.

"She is," he says, "I know you want me to marry, for the sake of the crown as well as for my own, and I won't fight against that. But I'm not going to be married off to some princess for a trade agreement or military support. My marriage is going to be to someone I love for no other reason than the fact that I love her more than anything on this entire planet. And you won't change my mind."

"Is she pregnant?" The King asks.

"What? No, father," Albert says, "it's not like that I...she makes me happy, and I love her. Can't that be enough?"

Silence falls over them once again, and Y/N swears she can see a hint of a smile on Peter's face.

Suddenly, the king's chair scrapes against the floor, the man standing and throwing his napkin onto the table before stalking out of the room. The Queen follows quickly after him, leaving three teenagers in shocked silence.

"I knew you were never going to make it easy on mom and dad," Peter speaks after a few seconds, shaking his head, "this whole transition is hard enough, and you had to go spring it on them that you're not going to go through with the arranged marriage they had been planning since before we were born?"

"It's not that simple, Pete," Albert sighs, running a hand through his hair, "I can't spend the rest of my life with some that I was married to to solidify some agreement, you'd understand if they were doing this to you."

Peter sighs, and shrugs.

"Guess you can't take it back now," he says, "you really think they'll let you go through with this?"

"I'll leave if they don't."

Peter whistles.

"Damn," he says, "you really love her, then?"

"More than anything else in the universe," Albert whispers, turning his gaze to her, "she makes me happy, and she sees the real me. That means more than any amount of money or any level of nobility."

"Your best bet would be to talk to mom first," Peter says, "she married into the crown, she'll understand more than dad will about finding someone you care for. Plus, she's mom, she's always had a soft spot for you."

Albert laughs a bit, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You're probably right about that," he says, "you okay, Pete?"

"Worried for you," he replies, "worried for how this will turn out, but I'm alright. And I think...I hope you guys will be too."

"Thanks," Albert says, squeezing Y/N's hand, "I think we have someone to talk to."

He leads her out of the dinning room, but stops them in to hallway before continuing after his parents.

"Are you okay?" He asks worriedly. "I know that was...less than ideal."

"Still processing I guess," she shakes her head, "what about you? They're your parents, Al."

"And they'll either come around or they won't," he shrugs, but she can see the conflict in his eyes.

"Al," she places a gentle hand on his cheek, shaking her head, "this is tearing you up inside, I can't let you ruin your life for this."

"How many times am I gonna have to tell you that this isn't ruining my life?" He asks, pulling her hand off of his cheek and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "No seriously, tell me so I can get it out of the way."

The girl laughs a bit, and Albert smiles at the sound.

"You are the love of my life," he says, "having you stand by my side for the rest of my days will in no way ruin it."

"I'm sorry," she says, "I just don't want you to grow to resent me, I don't think I could handle that."

"I sincerely doubt that could ever happen," Albert replies, and presses a soft kiss to her lips, "I think we've given them enough time to cool off."

He kisses her again, and leads her into one of the rooms.

"Mother? Father?" He asks. "I um...I think we have some things to talk about."

The King scoffs.

"That's the understatement of the year," he says, "I cannot believe you thought that bringing some...some servant into the dinning room and telling us you plan on making her the next queen was going to go over well? What the _hell_ has gotten into you?"

"You can't possibly want me to rule as king and marry someone you picked out!" Albert says. "Does my happiness mean nothing to you?"

"Not as much as the success of this kingdom!"

"Then having someone who was born and raised here must be better than some princess from some land far away!" Albert shakes his head. "Y/N knows more about this kingdom than just about anyone else, that has to be worth something."

"What does she have on you?" He asks. "It has to be good to get you to agree to this. You said she's not pregnant, so what is it?"

"Dad! It's not like that!" Albert shouts, stunning the rest of the people in the room. "Can't you just accept the fact that I found someone that I love and want to be with for the rest of my life? I remember you and mom telling me stories about how in love you were before you got married, it's the same thing."

"Your mother was a prominent figure of the Royal Court, and is of noble blood, it's nowhere near the same thing."

They fall silent again, and Albert squeezes her hand. He takes a deep breath, and says-

"I'll abdicate the throne."

"Albert!" The Queen gasps. "You can't mean that."

"I do," Albert says, "Peter will be a fine king, and I'm sure he'll marry whoever you tell him to. But I can't, I won't, so if leaving is what it takes, then I'll do it."

"This is you, this is your fault," the King turns to the girl, "what do you want, huh? Power, money? Name your price, whatever it takes for this to go away."

"I-I'm not-"

"Father, how many times-"

"This isn't happening," the King cuts the teens off, "no one else has to know of this, this doesn't have to get out. So, _girl_ ," he spits, "name your price."

"It's not like that," she repeats, "I'm not looking for any sort of money, the only thing I want is for Al to be happy, and for some reason he chose to find that happiness with me. I'm not going to deny him that...are you?"

"What's your name?" the Queen asks. "I'm sorry I don't already know it, I should do better at learning the names of all the staff."

"I-" the girl stops, swallowing, "my name is Y/N, your majesty."

"Y/N," the Queen repeats, nodding slightly, "Y/N...we want our son to be happy," she says softly, resting a hand on her husbands, "we want this kingdom to prosper, and we want our children to live fulfilling lives. I don't want to be the reason he hates his life, and I don't want him to grow to resent us, but you have to understand why we're hesitant."

"Believe me, your majesty, I understand completely," Y/N replies, "if I'm perfectly honest, I was hesitant myself when Al first brought up the idea...I know this was not what you expected when you were raising Albert, and I know it's unorthodox, but I'd like to think I can do well...I like to think that I might be able to bring about some good change, for the benefit of the kingdom and all who live here."

The Queen stands, and makes her way over. She smiles gently.

"I will talk to my husband," she says quietly, "he may not be so easy to convince but...for the record, if Albert is willing to abdicate the throne to be with you, he must genuinely love you, and I'm not one to stand in the way of that," she turns to Albert, resting a hand on his cheek, "I'm so happy for you, my darling, and I'm so incredibly proud that you decided to fight for what you love. You're going to make a great king," she smiles, "and you're going to have a wonderful queen by your side in the form of whoever you choose. Especially if it's Y/N."

"You..." Albert trails off, and Y/N can see the happiness in his eyes, "you really think so? Truly?"

"Truly," Queen Madeline replies, taking her hand away from Albert's face, "go, spend sometime with your love. I'll make sure you're not disturbed."

"Thank you mom," Albert breathes, throwing his arms around her in a hug, "thank you so much."

He takes Y/N's hand and leads her out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

Once in the hall, he presses his lips to hers, picking her up and spinning her around as they kiss.

"I love you so much, princess," he mumbles against her mouth, "god this is amazing."

She giggles, kissing him again,

"I love you too," she says, "I can't believe it...we're going to be together, Albie, we're really getting married."

"A thousand times over."


End file.
